Ohayou
December 2022

Not the one where we go who says カ フ ェ but the coffee that we drink who says コ ー ヒ ー, both being written in katakana since they come from foreign words.

カフェ
kafe – cafe.

コーヒー
kōhē – coffee.

It has always surprised me a bit, but many people have asked me if coffee is drunk in Japan. I imagine this is because Japan, quite rightly, is strongly associated with tea, which is much more than an institution in this country. Japanese people, of course, drink coffee, but not necessarily in the same way or in the same places as we do.

In the West, in general, coffee is associated with the morning for breakfast, with work during the day, with a quick espresso at lunchtime when eating out to get back to work afterward, and with the end of a restaurant dinner to crown the moment. I also remember afternoons at my grandmother’s, where we would have coffee, whether at her house or in pastry shops.

Let’s say that in the West, coffee is almost always associated with eating, working, energizing oneself, or waking up. Coffee has long been the essential drink from morning until night. This is probably less the case today because its reputation has somewhat declined, but there are really very few places where one eats that do not serve coffee.

In Japan, it is tea that fulfills the role of the daily drink, hot or cold, from evening to morning, and it is probably impossible to find a restaurant or an izakaya that doesn’t offer it. Perhaps in alcohol-focused bars, and even then. Tea is more present than water in Japan, and it is almost always possible to get green tea, most often for free.

Tea is omnipresent in Japan, from the smallest eateries to the tea ceremony itself, through all the places where it is possible to eat something, and, of course, in Japanese homes. In Ōzu’s films, there is always a scene showing a kettle on a stove, symbolizing water heating for this daily ritual.

So, what is the place of coffee in Japan? The association of coffee with breakfast is Western, although nowadays this habit has also appeared among Japanese people through the influence of the Americans after the war.

But if you have a Japanese-style breakfast at a hotel, the main elements are rice, tea, salted grilled fish, lacto-fermented vegetables, and miso. There might be plums, but very sour and very salty plums, called
梅干, which are difficult to eat if you’re not used to them. And then there’s 納豆, which the Japanese love; some of my friends still hold a grudge against me for having made them try this food with its very strong smell and taste.

梅干
Umeboshi – macerated plums.

納豆
Nattō – fermented beans.

It is nevertheless possible to drink coffee 24 hours a day in Japan, just go to a Kombini, a Convenience store in English, it is open H24 and 7/7. The main brands in Japan are 7 Eleven, Lawson and Family Mart. These are supermarkets that have everything you need, there is everywhere and the products are always good. It’s good and cheap, two elements that make the Kombini an integral part of every Japanese life.

In these there are machines that make coffee and it is good. It’s coffee in grains, it is ground on the spot and you have some options including iced coffee that the Japanese love. Ice cubes are sold separately, just add them to the coffee extracted from the machine. There is another solution that I prefer to laws, it requires a little research and sometimes a bit of audacity, they are the 喫 茶 店.

喫茶店
Kisaten – tea or coffee shop.

The Kisaten appeared in the early 20th century, when coffee as a drink became popular among young Japanese. The Kisaten was an opportunity to get out of the strict Japanese framework and meet between girls and boys. There were more than ten thousand in Japan, but today they are unfortunately disappearing. Young people are more likely to turn to the major international channels. Entering a Kisaten is entering the 昭 和 時 代 (1926-1989), the era of Emperor Hirohito, each Emperor giving his reign a name.

昭和時代
Shōwa-jidai – era of enlightened peace.

Sachie’s Kisaten opens at 10 o’clock, which is convenient for me and rare, the others open rather at 11 o’clock or noon. It is called the “Winds” in English, typical of the post-war Showa era. On the way I meet an old man, I go to see him every morning, he walks in front of the building where he lives, masked and dressed in white, he exercises, he must be over ninety years old.

The main characteristic of a Kisaten is its kitsch. The place, the decoration, the furniture, the tableware, everything seems to come from our grandparents or great-grandparents for the younger ones. It’s always like this, and these places have an incredible charm. I can spend hours there chatting, writing, and drinking good coffee.

On the walls, there are announcements for shows or exhibitions, old photos, a famous poster extolling the summer benefits of the city of Pau. Classical music or jazz, depending on the day, adds even more to the charm.

Behind her counter, Sachie prepares her coffee the old-fashioned way, using a filter, meticulously pouring water from the kettle in slow, regular circles as it should be done; she’s been doing it for 42 years. On the wall, there are also posters of Japanese seals that are stunning. Her husband creates them artistically and displays them.

Literally, 喫茶店 (Kisaten) means “a shop where you drink tea.” The first kanji, 喫, can mean “eat,” “drink,” or “smoke”; the second kanji, 茶, means “tea”; and the third kanji, 店, means “shop.” For legal reasons at the time of their appearance in the early 20th century, these establishments had to serve tea in order to also serve other things, hence the name.

You can also eat at Sachie’s: Italian-style toast with cheese, soft and delicious omelets, pasta, or sandwiches made with square white bread cut into four and generously filled. The customers are regulars, usually elderly. Young people rarely visit these kinds of places, where people read the newspaper, share neighborhood gossip, or inquire about each other’s health.

And in these places, you can smoke! Personally, I quit smoking several years ago, but I rather enjoy seeing someone smoke in a Kisaten or an Izakaya—it feels like a freedom rediscovered. It’s never bothersome in these places; the people who smoke are few and remain considerate because in Japan, it’s frowned upon to disturb others.

The Japanese government, which has banned smoking almost everywhere, including in the streets, has not managed to eradicate this habit. The Kisaten and the Izakaya are places where people eat, drink, and smoke. For now, this hasn’t changed.

In this Kisaten, you encounter another Japan, one that, for a few moments each day, still lives in the Showa era of the postwar period. It’s the era of the American military presence, Japan’s reconstruction, and its economic boom. It’s a Japan where everything seemed possible, if not allowed, a Japan where you could smoke a cigarette while drinking coffee and reinventing the world.